CORONA: Rewarding students was key to improving test scores

Students in the Renaissance class at Centennial High School in Corona on Wednesday, Nov. 20, hold rewards cards they received for scoring or maintaining proficient or advanced on the state standardized tests in the spring. Centennial's testing incentive program was recognized in October as a Model of Academic Excellence by the Riverside County Office of Education.

They couldnât figure out why some of their highest-achieving students were doing so poorly on multiple state standardized tests every spring.

Teachers reported that students finished the tests quickly, filled out answers randomly and admitted they didnât give their best efforts.

âWe noticed the trend was that they didnât really care because the tests had nothing to do with their grade and nothing to do with graduation,â said Assistant Principal Amy Paulsen. âStudent attitudes were our biggest problem with testing.â

In 2010, teachers developed a process to encourage and reward students for their mastery of standards on the state tests beginning the following year.

Students who scored or maintained proficient or advanced on the tests received retroactive grade changes, as well as individual and school-wide rewards.

The testing incentive program helped boost the schoolâs scores on the Academic Performance Index (API) from 770 in 2010 to 805 in 2012. Individual student scores improved as well, Paulsen said.

Centennial recently earned recognition for the program as a Model of Academic Excellence by the Riverside County Office of Education.

âWeâre excited to get this award,â Paulsen said in a Nov. 20 interview at Centennial. âOur teachers and students work really hard.â

The incentive program, which was piloted by some science classes a year before its school-wide implementation, provided a 10-percent grade increase if students scored or maintained proficient or advanced on state tests in math, science and history. Language arts classes granted a 5 percent increase because the amount of essay writing required in the curriculum is not reflected on the test.

The grade changes were made in October, retroactive to the first or second semester of the previous school year. There were more than 800 grade changes in 2011, 688 in 2012 and 998 in 2013, according to school figures.

A day is set aside for students to visit the teacher from the prior year, and the teacher signs off on the grade change form.

Cassidy Baker, 17, said she was able to change her U.S. History grade from a B to an A because her score improved from proficient to advanced on the history test.

âItâs a good way to get students to want to do well on the test,â Cassidy said. âItâs also a good way to get students involved on campus.â

Along with the grade changes, students in the renaissance class came up with individual, grade-level and school-wide rewards. Renaissance is a leadership class that promotes and encourages academic excellence.

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